Tony Costa

Born in Sydney in 1955 Costa studied at Julian Ashton and with Hungarian artist Desiderius Orban in the late 70s.  He completed Postgraduate studies at the City Art Institute Sydney in 1986. In 1988 he was selected to participate in the Triangle Artists Workshop in Pine Plains, New York.

Costa won the Archibald Prize (2019) with a portrait of leading contemporary artist and Zen Buddhist Lindy Lee, Paddington Art Prize (2014) with a work entitled Fallen Tree Port Hacking River R.N.P, Ashfield Prize (1979) with a work entitled Grand Valley, Victoria Pass. His works are held in both Corporate and Private collections.  A painter of both Landscapes and Portraiture he has exhibited in numerous solo exhibitions.

He has been a finalist in many Art prize exhibitions including Archibald Prize (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019), the Wynne Prize (1988, 2014), Sulman prize (2001), Dobell prize for Drawing (1999, 2004, 2008, 2012) at the Art Gallery of NSW. He has also been a finalist in the Doug Moran Prize for Portraiture (2004, 2007, 2011, 2015), Kilgour Prize for Portraiture (2013,2016, 2020), Paddington Art Prize for Landscape Painting (2004,2008, 2012, 2014) and the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing (2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019).

Costa’s interest lies in German Expressionism and is drawn to distortion and exaggerations, anything which makes for a more insistent image and one which is made from necessity. More recently, the works of the Neo Expressionists working in Europe, known as the Transavanguardia, have also captured his attention. He is also drawn to 11th century mosaics because of their ability to convey both spiritual and emotional content within a compressed space.